Mary Wilson

 Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021)

She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the all-time best-selling girl groups in the world. The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for. Wilson remained with the group following the departures of other original members, Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970, though the group disbanded following Wilson's own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together.

Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fighting to pass Truth in Music Advertising bills and donating to various charities. Wilson was inducted along with Ross and Ballard (as members of the Supremes) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. She was married from 1974 until a divorce in 1981, the union produced three children. Wilson died in her sleep on February 8, 2021, in Las Vegas at the age of 76. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Wilson is with her son, Rafael, who died in a car accident.